Antiburst tube for pipes



Feb. 24, 1953 F. COOK 2,629,402

ANTIBURST TUBE FOR PIPES Filed Dec. 9, 1949 FQ/IMQ COO/d,

INVENTOR.

Patented Feb. 24, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ANTIBURST TUBE FORPIPES Frank Cook, Anaheim, Calif.

Application December 9, 1949, Serial No. 132,152

This invention relates to anti-burst devices for water pipes and thelike.

Heretofore various devices have been provided for preventing water pipesfrom bursting when the water within these water pipes freezes, and thesemeans have taken various forms including tubes which are adapted to becompressed by the freezing liquid within the pipes. However, it has beendiflicult to use prior devices due to the fact that the manner ofapplication to the pipes was very awkward in that the lengths of thedevices to be applied cannot be varied without damaging the devices.

A main object of the present invention is to provide an anti-burstdevice, and in particular an anti-burst device in the nature of a tubewhich is divided into a plurality of sealed compartments so that uponapplication a desired length can be cut from a long strip of tubing andapplied without damaging the anti-burst characteristics of the device.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improvedanti-burst device.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an anti-burstdevice which has substantially rigid axially disposed wire to supportthe anti-burst device in a water pipe or the like.

Another object of the present invention is to provide improved means forsealing off a length of the anti-burst device into a plurality ofcompartments.

Heretofore, a number of anti-burst devices have utilized a covering orthe like of rubber and this has proved in general unsuccessful becauseafter a short period of time the rubber reacts with the water with theaccompanying disadvantages. Another object of the present invention isto provide an anti-burst device with a covering which will not reactwith water or the like.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will be mademanifest in the following detailed description and specifically pointedout in the appended claim, reference is had to the accompanying drawingsfor an illustrative embodiment of the invention, wherein: a

Figure 1 is an anti-burst device embodying the present invention asapplied to a water pipe;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of an anti-burstdevice embodying the present invention;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view along lines 3-3 upon Fig. 2, on an enlargedscale;

Fig. 4. is a view similar to Fig. 2 of a modified form of the invention,and

1 Claim. (Cl. 138-28) Fig. 5 is a sectional view along lines 55 of Fig.4.

Referring to the accompanying drawings wherein similar referencecharacters designate similar parts throughout, Fig. 1 discloses anantiburst device, generally entitled H], as applied to a water pipe I I.The anti-burst device I0 is extended down into the water pipe II to apoint below the freeze line in the ground below which the water will notfreeze and above which the water will freeze within the pipe. Theanti-burst device It; is of compressible construction so that when thewater freezes the anti-burst device will be compressed thereby relievingthe pipe from the strain of the freezing water.

The anti-burst device disclosed in Fig. 2 has a plastic covering 15 anda plurality of spaced sponge rubber cores [6 and there is asubstantially rigid axial wire ll extending through the anti-burstdevice. The covering I5 is sealed around the wire I! between the spacedcores [5 to thereby provide a plurality of separate compartments. Bythis construction suitable lengths of anti-burst tube can be provided bycutting at the reduced neck portion 20 shown in Fig. 2, without allowingthe water to enter the compartments. The cores it though preferably ofsponge rubber, are water adsorbent and therefore if water were allowedto enter the compartment the compressibility of the compartments wouldbe diminished.

By providing an axial wire I! through the elongated anti-burst device asupport for the antiburst device is provided since the wire beingsubstantially rigid will prevent the water during the normal use of thewater pipe from carrying the anti-burst device out of the nozzle of thepipe.

Any suitable means of fastening the anti-burst device within a waterpipe can be provided, one manner being to strip the covering l5 off areduced neck portion 20 without destroying the sealing quality of theadjacent compartment and to solder or otherwise fasten this exposed wireto the water pipe.

Another form of the invention is disclosed in Fig. 4, wherein it iscontemplated that instead of having a plurality of spaced cores I6 thata single continuous core 22 will be provided with an axial wire 23extending through the device. be a plastic covering 25 and clamps 2Bwhich clamp the plastic covering about the core 22 and the axial wire23, thereby providing a plurality of sealed compartments and the reducedneck 2! can be severed without destroying the sealing quality of theadjacent compartments.

There will When it is desired to apply the anti-burst device of thepresent invention to a pipe the freezing line is determined and thelength of the anti-burst tube desired computed and then from a longstrip of the anti-burst tube the desired length is cut oil by severingthrough a neck portion, thereby maintaining the sealing quality of theadjacent compartments. The length of the vanti;burst tube .is then,applied to the pipe since it is of the correct length no specialoperations or adjustments have to be made.

When the anti-burst device of the present invention is applied to ahorizontal-pipe having right angle joints at the ends it may not befastened within the pipe but may merely be pla d Within e pip a dh9x9iliil characteristics will not be carried out of :the water pipe dueto the flow of water-therein. When applying to a pipe as disclosed inFig. 1, it iscontemplatedethattheuppflr joint or joints will be bent asat 30 and the elbow 3i removed while applying .theantieburst device totheepipe.

Byprovidingaplastic. covering l5 whichis inert to .the actions of water,the antieburst deviee 0! :the present invention can be used for longperiods of time withoutanyof the disadvanta es accornpanying. the use ofrubber within wat r pipes.

The sponge rubber 16 although being com,-

pressibleserves to'resist the pressure within the water pipe asufficient extent so that it will be suitably compressed whenever thepipe freezes torelieve thepipefrom the effects of the freezing liquid.

- The concepts of the presentinvention can. also be.u sed to provideantieburst devices for water heaters or the cooling systems of gasolinemotors and the like, and also for radiators, and in such case, asuitable material to withstand heat would be used to provide theanti-burst tube. The material may take the form of a plastic or one ofthe silicones.

Various changes may be made in the details of the construction withoutdeparting from the ,s iritand eqpe ei iventiqnas defi y the appendedelaim, wherein I-claim:

An anti-burst device for water pipes and the like comprising acompressible elongated member having an axially extending wire, aplurality of sp nge rubber core pieces arranged along the wire at spacedintervals, a plastic sheath inert to the chemical action of ordinarywater enginei r 1g the wire and core pieces and sealed to and around thewire between the core pieees-to provide a plurality of watertight compamen The following references .are -of recordin'the file of this-patent:

UNl'lIEJD .S' IATES .PAT N

